“Just the facts, ma’am.” (Sgt. Joe Friday, Dragnet)

One night, dispatch called me right at shift change. A guy reported an assault and the suspect had left the scene. No problem, I thought, I could knock out a quick report. You’d think it’d be an easy call. Write an offense report, explain the warrant procedure, and get back in service. Easy peasy, right? …Nope. 

This victim lacked a firm grasp of the concept of brevity. My basic questions were met with a long pause, a distant look, and deep thoughtful contemplation. He answered with dissertations. He did this for every question. 

Everyone knows I’m a “meat and potatoes” guy. Just give me the facts. Don’t elaborate. I have the attention span of a three-year-old. Cut to the chase! Get to the point! Not this guy. I wanted information, he had to explain the emotions, perturbations, and implications. 

“Ok, what happened?” I asked. Him: Deep sigh. A distant look. More reflection, contemplation, and meditation. “Well,..”  he began. Then he was off down a rabbit trail. I started to understand why he was assaulted. A ten-minute report was turning into an overtime detail. 

I don’t know how we finally got him to summarize the assault. Maybe I did it for him, but we finished. I determined if he ever called us again, somebody with more patience would need to respond. Please give me more patience or less words. 

If I was gasping for my last breath and I asked someone, “How do I get to Heaven from here?” I would appreciate a brief answer. I don’t need a sermon, just some instructions. It’s sort of like the man who was crucified alongside Jesus. He didn’t have much time or much of a chance. So, he turned to Jesus and said, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”

Jesus didn’t preach. A little faith is all it took. Jesus said, “You’re gonna be with me today in Paradise.” Pastor Alistair Begg imagined that guy showing up at the pearly gates. He’d never been to church, never been baptized, never even read the Bible. A surprised angel asks, “How did you get here?” The man, a little confused himself,  replies, “The man on the middle cross said I could come.” That is what grace looks like.